Actuator assemblies often are utilized in aircraft to facilitate, or provide a motive force for, motion of one or more components of the aircraft relative to a remainder of the aircraft. As examples, actuator assemblies may be utilized to actuate, or move, control surfaces and/or landing gear of the aircraft.
Historically, actuator assemblies for control surfaces have utilized linear actuators, such as lead screw and nut assemblies, coupled to drive assemblies, such as motors and/or transmissions, to provide the motive force for the motion. However, it often may be desirable to move control surfaces in a nonlinear fashion. As such, historical actuator assemblies have coupled one end of the lead screw to the drive assembly with a universal joint, or U-joint, and permitted the other end of the lead screw to float in space as the control surface is moved. Such historical actuator assemblies also have coupled the nut to the control surface via a gimbal joint.
Such a system, while effective, is heavy, relatively complicated, and provides a large number of degrees of freedom for relative motion among the linear actuator, the drive assembly, the control surface, and a remainder of the aircraft. Thus, there exists a need for improved actuator assemblies and methods of utilizing the same.